Receive the latest local updates in your inbox

NJ Transit passengers were literally stopped in their tracks after a problem causes major delays. News 4's Ida Siegal has more from Newark Penn Station. (Published Friday, Oct. 5, 2012)

Signal problems caused headaches for evening commuters on NJ Transit's rail lines into and out of New York City Thursday.

The signal problems, centered near Rahway, began at about 6 p.m. and were resolved by 10 p.m. but delays of up to 60 minutes remain across the Northeast Corridor, New Jersey Coast, Morris & Essex and Main/Bergen/Port Jervis lines.

"We were told that the rain disrupted signaling, and the trains were being manually guided into Newark," said Don Carville at Newark Penn Station after disembarking. "That was at around 6:00. I've just arrived, and it's 9:30."

Amtrak crews were called in to repair the problems; the company owns the tracks on which NJ Transit operates.

Passengers on some Amtrak trains were also affected by the delays.

"You have to wonder what sort of redundancy is built into the system where a little bit of rain can so completely disrupt traffic," said Carville. "That's just very, very poor."

Frustrated commuters also took to social media to air their grievances, with some reporting being stuck on a train for as long as three and a half hours.

"We've been stuck for almost three hours," Dennis de Groot tweeted. "Missed my flight and have to buy a new ticket with nobody taking responsibility."

Melissa Ruiz said she was stranded on a train from New Brunswick over three hours with no communication from officials, and Matt Mortenson said he missed a concert in Montclair.